2025 is shaping up to be a year of ambiguity for Talent Leaders, with new political shifts, executive orders and workplace policies adding layers of complexity at every turn. But amid uncertainty, one thing is becoming clear: many leading organizations aren’t pulling back on leadership development—they’re doubling down.
We’re seeing a decisive shift play out in real-time. Across industries, Talent Leaders are increasingly investing in multi-month people development programs grounded in real work. These action learning programs aren’t just designed to teach practical skills—they’re also built to create immediate business value.
At ExperiencePoint, demand for our action-oriented training is up more than 30% from last year. And according to SHRM CEO Johnny C. Taylor, research shows that leadership and manager development is now the top priority for HR leaders, as they focus on “long-term workforce development and engagement strategies.”
It’s becoming clear that this shift isn’t just a trend—it’s a recalibration of what people development needs to be.
At the heart of this recalibration is a growing desire to collapse the space between learning and doing. In these programs, participants don’t just gain new skills—they use them immediately to make meaningful progress on real challenges and deliver real ROI.
As we like to say: Learning + Work = Magic.
Here’s what that shift looks like in practice, based on the real challenges we’re seeing across industries—and how organizations are responding.
Turning tech experts into senior leaders: A global energy provider’s 6-month leadership program
Facing industry disruption and mounting pressure to innovate, a global energy provider knew technical expertise alone wouldn’t keep them ahead of their competition. They needed their top technology experts to evolve into senior leaders—people who could lead progress, not just build it.
In response, they launched a multi-month leadership development program with training grounded in real business challenges participants would need to solve throughout. Sponsors intentionally spread development over time to help their top experts grow into confident, capable leaders by applying new skills, connecting with customers and delivering real solutions that move the business forward.
After initial design thinking training and presentations from in-house leaders, participants left with homework to conduct user interviews in the field while meeting bi-weekly for live micro-learning sessions. They then returned months later for a two-day design sprint, using their newly gathered user insights to surface actionable, innovative solutions.
Develop people who can lead progress, not just build it.
Join our next workshop showcase to take a deep dive into these action learning experiences.
Solving real business challenges: A leading insurance company’s 7-month HiPo program
A top-rated insurance provider in the US had been running a seven-month, in-house program to develop high-potential talent (HiPos) for nearly a decade. Each year, 30 emerging leaders were selected and assigned a real business challenge to solve, culminating in a Shark Tank-style pitch to senior leaders.
The structure was strong—but as customer needs evolved, the program team saw an opportunity to go further. They set out to reimagine their long-standing program to reflect today’s demands, grounding leadership development in real work, real people and real impact.
To do so, they've partnered with ExperiencePoint to embed hands-on workshops into the journey to help HiPos adopt a better approach to problem-solving while simultaneously applying it to their own capstone project. From problem-solving daily tasks with AI to getting new ideas to stick, these workshops will help these HiPos emerge better equipped to work smarter, faster and more collaboratively across the organization.
Shifting from firefighting to future-proofing: A major aerospace supplier’s 4-month future leader program
A major aerospace and defense supplier recognized that its deeply ingrained firefighting culture—where urgency was rewarded and reactive leadership was the norm—was no longer sustainable to meet the demands of a constantly changing future.
In response, they launched a four-month program designed to help future leaders adopt new ways of working. The idea wasn’t just to improve how problems were solved—it was to give future leaders the time and space to start shaping the environment they’d one day be responsible for leading.
The program began with a design thinking simulation, giving participants a hands-on, immersive experience in a different approach to problem-solving. With that foundation in place, they moved on to a design sprint where they applied what they’d learned to real business challenges selected by senior sponsors.
The program culminated with a fast-turnaround pitch-back to sponsors—showcasing not only fresh, customer-centric ideas but the leadership mindset shifts that made them possible.
Why leadership development training needs action learning
If 2025 has shown us anything, it’s that leadership development must evolve to meet the moment. People leaders aren’t just rethinking what their programs deliver—they’re rethinking how they deliver it. The shift toward multi-month, action-learning experiences reflects a broader realization: real capability is built through real work.
The organizations leading the way are designing programs that build skills and deliver outcomes in tandem—equipping leaders to solve business-critical challenges while growing into the roles their organizations need next.
That’s not a trend. That’s progress with purpose.
Ready to revamp your leadership development training?
Let’s talk about what action learning could look like at your organization.